Central Africa

São Tomé urged to workout African Free Trade strategy

Implementation-AfCFTA30 October 2019 (São Tomé, Sao Tome and Principe) - The United Nations System has urged the Government of Sao Tome and Principe, a small island state located off the Gulf of Guinea, to “take deliberate action and make the necessary efforts, through an effective and integrated national strategy, to maximize the benefits that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement will bring. Resident Coordinator of the UN System in the country, Ms. Zahira Virani, made this call while addressing State officials and more than 50 participants of a workshop convened by the African Trade Policy Centre (ATPC) of the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), in the town of Sao Tome, to deepen national understanding on the practical steps the country must take to benefit from the continental common market. Read More

Also see related content: ECA supports Sao Tomé and Principe to harness benefits of African trade

Democratic Republic of Congo conducts national consultation on the AfCFTA

 17 September 2019 (Kinshasa, DRC) – An AfCFTA forum was held in Kinshasa on 17 and 18 September 2019 to provide information to representatives of various government agencies, the private sector, civil society and academia about the expected effects of the AfCFTA, and to shed light on the strategic orientations envisaged by the Congolese government in its implementation. Organized jointly by ECA and the Congolese Ministry of Foreign Trade, with the support of the European Union, the forum brought together a hundred key economic actors with a three-fold objective: to analyze the opportunities and challenges related to implementing the AfCFTA in the DRC, to discuss the components of the national strategy and to make recommendations to the government. In addition to a general overview of the legal and technical fundamentals of the AfCFTA Agreement, the forum discussed the main principles guiding the effective implementation of the AfCFTA, as well as the provisions that can contribute to building regional and continental value chains, in particular in the sectors where the DRC holds a competitive advantage. Read More.

Congo gears towards continental trade strategy

Implementation-AfCFTA7 May 2019 (Pointe Noire, Congo) - Various stakeholders of the Republic of Congo have called on their Government to improve the institutional framework conducive to transformation and economic growth, to benefit from the Republic of Congo's membership of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The call was made during an information and awareness-raising forum on the AfCFTA in the Republic of Congo, held recently in Pointe Noire. Read More.